Make It Better (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: Steve shows his willingness to learn a new skill for Angie.


_Today we remember those lost in the attacks on 9/11, and stand with their families who keep their memories alive._

(Author's note at the end)

* * *

_Make It Better (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

"And there's a puppy dog for the very patient little lady," the carnival balloon artist said, capping her Sharpie after drawing eyes on an intricate balloon dog creation. She leaned down and handed it to a very excited Angie who was waiting with Steve and Catherine.

"Doggie! Doggie!" Angie squealed, clutching it in both hands. She hugged it to her chest.

"Careful, Angie," Catherine said. "You don't want it to pop."

Steve and Catherine had both been able to take the day off and after Angie's nap, they'd walked over to a local park not far from their house where there was a small carnival set up.

"Doggie, Mommy!"

"I see. That's really amazing," she said, looking at the balloon artist who had a nametag that read Katie. "Balloon animals have come a long way since I was a kid."

"They have," Katie agreed. "I get lots of great ideas online. People put up video tutorials, and then you can put your own spin on them."

"Well, I think you have a new fan," Catherine said, looking down at Angie who was clearly enamored with her balloon dog. "Can you tell Ms. Katie thank you, Angie?"

"T'ank oou," Angie said automatically, gracing Katie with a grin before turning back to her balloon. She looked at her father. "Doggie, Daddy!"

"I see it," he said, smiling at her obvious delight. "Why don't we head home so you show Cammie, huh?" He smiled at the balloon artist. "Thanks."

"Cammie!" Angie said excitedly, waving the balloon dog in the air.

"Careful," Catherine said again.

"It's okay," Katie said. "Those balloons are pretty tough."

"Tough enough to withstand a toddler?" Catherine asked.

"Well …" Katie said, more hesitantly now as she watched Angie hug the balloon creation tightly. "It should be okay."

"Famous last words," Catherine said, glancing at Steve.

* * *

"Cammie!" Angie said excitedly when Steve opened the front door and she bounded in to see her beloved dog waiting for her, tail wagging. "Cammie, see doggie!"

Cammie, recognizing that her smallest human wanted to show her something, dutifully stepped forward and sniffed the red balloon creation.

Angie giggled and set off toward her playroom, marching down the hallway and waving her balloon in the air. "Doggie! Doggie! Doggie!"

"Don't worry, pretty girl," Catherine said, leaning down to greet Cammie with a neck rub and a kiss to the top of her snout. "You're still her favorite doggie."

"And you'll be around long after the balloon dog," Steve added, giving her his own greeting. He looked at Catherine. "I'll throw those chicken breasts on the grill. Dinner in about twenty minutes?"

"Sounds good," she said. "Hopefully we can pry the balloon out of her hands long enough to eat."

* * *

"No!" Angie screeched when Catherine grabbed a leg of her balloon dog.

"I'm just wiping it off, Angie," Catherine said, running a wet washcloth over the latex. "You got chicken and macaroni salad and peach juice all over it." She managed to pry the balloon out of Angie's hands.

"No! Doggie! Doggie!"

"Just a second," Catherine said, setting it on the table. "I've gotta wipe your hands, too."

Angie leaned forward in her booster, making grabby hands at the balloon dog. "Doggie!"

"Let Mommy clean you up, Angie," Steve said firmly, coming back to the table after stowing the leftovers in the fridge. "Then you can keep playing with your doggie."

"And your face," Catherine said, wiping the mess from Angie's face. "There, done." She gave the dog back and Angie immediately cuddled it to her chest. "Sheesh, honey, that was all of fifteen seconds apart."

Angie wiggled in her seat, releasing one hand long enough to brace herself as she got down. Holding the balloon tightly, she ran out of the kitchen with a bright smile. "Doggie pway!"

Steve sighed, shaking his head as he watched her go. "Well, at least it's better than the h-o-r-n."

Catherine chuckled, nodding her agreement. She folded her arms, looking toward the living room where they could hear Angie jabbering to the balloon dog.

"Though the way she's handling it, I don't think it lasts the evening."

* * *

"There's the short dog and the long dog," Steve read, sitting on the sofa with Angie and reading her a dog-themed opposite book. He pulled the tab to stretch out the illustrated dog a couple times to reinforce the concept. "The short dog, and the looooooong dog."

Angie snuggled beside him, still holding her balloon dog close as she would a stuffed animal.

"Looooon'," she imitated. Holding up her balloon, she made as if to stretch it like in the illustration.

"Careful," Steve said. "You don't want it to–"

"POP!"

Angie startled at the sudden sound then looked confused, her balloon dog no longer in her hands. Her head whipped around every direction as if searching for it. When it was nowhere to be found, her face crumpled and the tears started to flow.

"Doggie!" she screamed.

"Ohh, Angie," Steve said, pulling her into his lap and holding her close. "Okay, okay." He rubbed her back in an effort to soothe her as she cried. "I know."

Cammie, who had jumped up at the sound of the balloon popping, came over to the sofa and leaned against Steve, rubbing her nose on Angie's leg to comfort her.

Catherine, who had heard the sound from upstairs, hurried down, stepping over the gate at the bottom.

"Ohh, honey," she said, squeezing in beside them on the sofa. She put a gentle hand on Angie's head and ran it over hair.

"Mommy!" Angie wailed, reaching for her. She crawled into Catherine's lap and buried her face against her chest.

"Shh shh shh," Catherine soothed, pressing her lips to Angie's head and rubbing her back. She exchanged a sad smile with Steve over the toddler's head. They'd known the balloon dog would eventually pop but knowing that didn't help when their daughter was inconsolable.

* * *

"She's still asleep," Catherine reported in relief as she came down the stairs later. It had understandably taken Angie longer to fall asleep than usual after the loss of her balloon dog. Both Steve and Catherine had sat with her, Steve rubbing her back while Catherine sang softly until she finally drifted off. Though they hadn't heard anything on the monitor, Catherine had gone up to check on her after a half hour.

"Mmm," Steve acknowledged from the sofa, tablet in hand, brow slightly furrowed as he watched the screen.

"What are you doing?" she asked, coming to sit beside him.

He slid over automatically to make room. "The balloon artist mentioned video tutorials," he said, nodding to the screen. A video of a man making a balloon dog was playing. "This doesn't look that hard. I just need to get some balloons." He glanced at his watch.

"What, now?" she said, surprised. "Steve, it's 8:30."

"Party store is open till 9," he said, setting the tablet down on the coffee table and standing up.

"Steve …" she started as he stepped around her legs to grab his keys from the end table. She stopped and smiled. "Get a balloon pump, too," she finished.

He flashed a quick smile and nodded resolutely before heading out the door.

* * *

"POP!"

Another balloon popped as Steve twisted it, trying to follow along with the video. He groaned, shoulders slumping, and reached out to pause the playback. He dropped the balloon fragments onto the growing pile on the coffee table.

Catherine poked her head out of the kitchen. "Another one?" she asked.

He sighed, sitting back against the sofa. "Yeah, Cammie hasn't even raised her head at the last three," he said, nodding to Cammie who was resting on her bed in the corner of the living room. "Apparently this is a little harder than it looks."

Catherine smiled softly. She finished drying her hands and tossed the towel back onto the island before walking toward him. She perched on the arm the sofa as Steve sat up, grabbing the air pump and a new balloon. She watched with an affectionate smile as he fit the end of the balloon on the pump and inflated it before reaching over to restart the video.

"It's late," she said, leaning over and kissing his head. "I'm going up to bed."

He nodded, eyes focused on the screen. "Okay, I'll be up in a minute," he said, making the first twist in the balloon.

She smiled, knowing full well he'd stay right there on the sofa until he succeeded, whether that took a minute or all night.

* * *

The next morning, Steve was waiting by her bedside when Angie blinked awake. She immediately smiled when her eyes focused on him.

"Daddy," she murmured happily.

"Good morning, Angie," he said, brushing her sleep-tousled hair back out of her face. "I have something I couldn't wait to show you." He revealed a red balloon animal, amateur compared to the creation she'd received at the carnival, but still recognizable as a dog.

Her eyes widened, mouth opening to form a small "o".

From the doorway, Catherine looked on and smiled silently, knowing how long Steve had worked on the gift and wanting the two to share this moment.

"Doggie," Angie said as she sat up, her voice more reverent than the excited squeal she'd emitted the previous day.

"I've learned a lot of new skills since becoming your daddy," Steve said with a smile as he watched her reach a hand out to touch the balloon. "Never thought balloon animals would be one of them …"

"Doggie, Daddy."

"Yeah, Daddy made you a doggie."

She finally took the balloon animal in hand, but instead of hugging it as he'd expected, she climbed to her knees and reached around his neck to hug him.

He smiled, closing his eyes briefly as his own arms encircled her. He rubbed a gentle hand up and down her back. He knew that as much as he might want to, he wouldn't always be able to fix it when Angie had a problem. He knew there'd come a day when he and Catherine would have to tell her about the horrible things that happened in the world. But there was one promise he could make her, and he wanted to tell her that now.

"I can't promise I'm always going to be able to make it better when something goes wrong," he said quietly, leaning his cheek against her hair. "But I can promise I'll always try."

* * *

**Notes: **Thank you to Mari and Sammy for their wonderful feedback as always, and to Sammy for the title.

Readers and REAL McRollers - thank you for your amazing support! It is always appreciated.

**I hope you enjoyed!**

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